Scripture Union is a movement of Christians which works with churches to make God’s Good news known to children, young people and families, and to encourage people of all ages to meet God daily through Bible reading and prayer.

we do this so people will come to faith in Jesus Christ, grow in Christian maturity and become committed church members and servants to a world in need.

Showers of Blessing was established by the Associated Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe in 2007. The organization has been drilling wells in drought-prone rural areas since that time. A well makes a huge impact on a village. It provides safe water, reducing diseases like cholera and diarrhoea. Access to safe water means that a greater variety of vegetables can be grown, improving nutrition, which is especially important for people with HIV/Aids. Reliable water also means that new income-generating activities can be started, for example growing vegetables or brickmaking.

Stirling has a history of deep and wide roots which are firmly grounded in the Christian story. Our roots come from the early vision and commitment of men and women from the Churches of Christ movement. Even before the establishment of the College the need to train people involved in preaching and evangelism was recognised.

In 1871 one of the early advocates for founding the College wrote that no one “can dispute the propriety and imperative necessity of our preachers being fully instructed in the sacred Word, and this is the prime object of the Bible College”.

The College of the Bible (COB), as it was first named, began with sixteen students under the tutelage of Principal H.G. Harward on 19th February 1907. For a brief time, lectures were held in the Lygon Street Church of Christ at Carlton and then in a building on Rathdowne Street. With the assistance of a generous benefactor, the College moved in early 1910, to a four acre property at Glen Iris which at the time was an undeveloped area south-east of Melbourne.

A year later, the second principal, A.R. Main, clarified the College’s reason for being.
The chief purpose of the College is to provide Biblical instruction and to furnish ample facilities in education for Christian ministry… to encourage an impartial and unbiased investigation of the Christian Scriptures, and in the spirit of devout faith in the Divine Word, freely to lay under tribute every source of light and truth available to modern scholarship.

The goal was the intellectually rigorous study of Scriptures and the equipping of men (and women since 1912) for mission and ministry. Interestingly, the ‘modern scholarship’ of 1911, referred to by A.R. Main, was very much focussed on ‘the historical Jesus’.

Reflecting this interest, the subjects on offer were Bible Geography, the History of the Old and New Testaments, Biblical languages, homiletics, psychology and logic. As the century went on, the initial focus on the history of the Bible developed into a concern for, and acknowledgement of, its interpretation as a living text. This awareness of interpretation led into a growing maturity and richness of Christian understanding within the College and within Churches of Christ across Australia.

It also opened the way for the College leadership to participate deeply in the ecumenical
community and in wider Christian scholarship. E.L. Williams was particularly influential in these areas through the middle decades of the twentieth century.

In 1981, China was the place where persecution was at its worst. Chairman Mao had died a few years earlier and had left his country with a strong communist heritage. Christians were forced to meet in secret and had no Bibles. Although it was almost impossible to access Bibles, the ever-growing Church was desperate and hungry for God’s life-changing Word.

It was also the year that Open Doors embarked on a journey like never before. In one single night, on a secluded beach in south-eastern China, Open Doors delivered one million Bibles to be distributed to persecuted Christians who had no access to God’s Word. This bold expedition was dubbed ‘Project Pearl’, with reference to the pearl of great price in Matthew 13:45–46 recognising the true value of Bibles.

In spite of this intense persecution, the Church grew. First with hundreds of thousands of people, and later even millions coming to faith in Christ. After 30 years, China has changed drastically in the political, economic and social realms, and is still changing to this day.

“We are so thankful for how our brothers and sisters around the world prayed for and supported us during some of the most extreme years of persecution. Now, it is our responsibility to stand with Christians in countries where they are facing persecution like we once did.”

Providing Bibles and Christian literature
Open Doors provides a wide range of Biblical materials in various languages to persecuted Christians, including Study Bibles, Children’s Bibles, MP3 Bibles and discipleship literature.

Training for leadership and discipleship
Open Doors offers training in effective church leadership and discipling others, in order to help believers grow in their faith and learn how to stand strong in the midst of persecution.

Personal encouragement
Open Doors brings personal encouragement to many persecuted believers in various ways, including writing letters and cards of encouragement, as well as sending travellers to meet and pray with them in their local areas.

Speaking out in advocacy
Open Doors helps persecuted believers by advocating on their behalf, providing legal support, seeking positive policy changes and campaigning in Australia.

Raising awareness and encouraging prayer
Open Doors produces a range of resources that are available to Australian Christians, alerting them to the needs to the Persecuted Church and encouraging prayerful support.